St. John's in Division No. 1 (Avalon Peninsula), Newfoundland and Labrador — The Canadian Atlantic

Sir Robert Gillespie Reid

By Barry Swackhamer, June 22, 2014

1. Sir Robert Gillespie Reid Marker

Inscription.

This plaque is dedicated to the memory of

Sir Robert Gillespie Reid
(1842-1908)

Sir Robert Gillespie Reid was a bridge builder and railway contractor of international fame. Many of the structures that he engineered throughout the United States and Canada stand today as monuments to his skill and unswerving determination. Reid brought his business ventures to Newfoundland in 1889 and as president of Reid Newfoundland Company he built the railway from Whitebourne to Port aux Basques. The Reid Newfoundland Company owned and operated the railway for 33 years and also ran the coastal boat and telegraph services on the island. A native of Scotland, Sir Robert Gillespie Reid was born at Coupar-Angus, Perthshire in 1842. This most distinguished gentleman made a tremendous contribution to the railway and the province as a whole.

Location. 47° 33.269′ N, 52° 42.822′ W. Marker is in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, in Division No. 1 (Avalon Peninsula). Marker is on Water Street just from Job Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 495 Water Street, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1E, Canada.

Also see . . . The Reid Newfoundland Company (1898-1920) - Heritage Newfoundland. In 1911 P.T. McGrath wrote of the Reid Newfoundland Company that it was "the biggest paymaster in the Island, bigger even than the government." Upon completion of the main line in 1898, the history of the railway in Newfoundland entered a quarter century that was arguably its period of highest drama and highest stakes, the era of the Reid Newfoundland Company. (Submitted on November 23, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2017. This page originally submitted on November 23, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. This page has been viewed 310 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 23, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.